I've had engaging on my mind a lot lately.
Rising above & refusing to engage is usually what I feel serves my energy in the best way possible.
Call it ignoring, call it moving on with positivity over conflict, call it I'm getting way too old for this... call it whatever you want. Not everything requires a response.
Some can create conflict where there is none. Some will use social media to air every little grievance in their life.
Just because someone is sharing their words to those who will listen either in person or on social media, doesn't mean their story is THE story though.
Just because other parties involved DON'T speak up to defend or refute, doesn't mean they don't have a story too.
In my own case, I may just end up writing a book. I mean, why not... I personally know a few people who have done so & mine would surely be a page-turner as well.
The Real Housewives got nothin' on this real Zumba instructor. LOL
As for my own platform on social media, I prefer to use it in a positive way that empowers or inspires. Or at least makes you laugh because the world needs more kindness & less created BS.
This morning I read a post on Facebook that was shared by a friend. It impacted me enough to want to share it too. Here's an excerpt from it...
"...Sometimes the juice isn't worth the squeeze. We are not responsible for everyone else's issues. Just because someone is demanding a response from you doesn't mean you owe it. You are a grown adult that gets to exercise discernment when it comes to conflict, and some people are unsafe. The end. You may be invited to the Big Fight, but you get to choose to stay home and watch Netflix instead.
"But they are saying lies!"
"But they are mischaracterizing me!"
"But I need to defend myself!"
"But I want my side of the story on record!"
"But I need to set them straight!"
Sometimes these objections are true and require a thoughtful response, and sometimes we need to DROP IT because it isn't going to do a lick of good. Don't get baited into a fight when you know there will be two losers, no winners.
Let them duke it out with someone else."
I know who I am & how I treat people. I know I choose kindness & respect. I know I choose to help others as much as I can, sometimes to the detriment of my own time & energy. I know that I'm sincere in the way I engage with others, ESPECIALLY those I'm fortunate enough to know because of my role as instructor.
These aren't qualities I feel I need to advertise about myself, and I would hope my actions over the years of however long or little you've known me, speak louder than my lack of words in any given situation past, present or future.
Which brings me back to my blog, which has now been in existence for over 10 years. It started a few years before I was even on Facebook & particularly for my love of scrapbooking & my desire to use this vehicle as a means to get more involved in that world.
And it worked.
I would eventually go on to being part of a few design teams and have my work published in quite a few magazines & publications. It was fun. Really really fun & I miss it a lot.
And while my writing style has changed over the years, and my posts are few & far between these days, the content has pretty much been about my life... as a parent, a wife, now soon-to-be-exwife, our home, our travels, scrapbooking, card-making, my job that would eventually become fitness instructor (which I love even more than scrapbooking), my distributorship with Advocare, my friends, etc.
My intent is simply to entertain, inform or inspire.
Perhaps it's possible if you don't know me that well &/or you haven't been reading this blog over the past 10 years... that you could make other assumptions & not realize how much content I've put on here & how the content has changed & adapted to where my life is at that moment.
For example... if you wanted to read further on any given subject, like pictures of my house for instance, you could just click on that link for interior design on the sidebar & it would give you content that potentially went all the way back to 2010, depending on how diligent I was with categorizing over the years...
If I write about something or show photos of something, it doesn't mean I think I'm an expert on that subject or that I'm in some way bragging. My life is good, but it's certainly not perfect enough to brag about. LOL
It might mean I posted photos because I was marketing a particular item for a scrapbooking company who sent it to me for that reason. Or it might mean someone asked me to post more photos of my home & then I did, since I've been randomly doing that anyway for the last 10 years. It might mean that I try to share what I know to be true about what works with regard to diet & exercise.
It's meant to be light-hearted & fun. It's similar to content which I personally like to read when I'm cruising through other people's blogs.
It's an extension of my life, my home & my scrapbooks. Not in a way that puts everything out there, but enough to keep things real & hopefully relatable.
And I can assure you that if you have any kind of sleep issues, a little light reading on here will likely bore you to death & you'll be off to dreamland in no time! Consider it a free version of Melatonin.
Which, by the way, is becoming more & more of a friend to me these days when sleep eludes me.
On a similar subject, I also saw this the other day on Facebook & wanted to share...
I say... more glitter & less bitter.
XOXO
